99 Another One For the Collection (2/2)

The men cheered at their triumph. They started to pull the dead bears together while others cleaned up the battlefield. An older looking man studied each bear, jotting something down and storing them into what looked like his storage ring.

Jackpot! Chen Wentian was excited. Having a storage ring meant that man was not a simple character. He continued to watch, trying to figure out which faction they were from and his question was soon answered.

”Master He, where will we go now? Shall we continue our hunt?” One of the younger cultivators asked.

”Hmm...” The one surnamed He stroked his beard, ”It's better to be safe, let's head back.”

Once everything was cleaned up, they got on their horses and started heading back towards the capital city of the province. It was still a couple day's ride away so Chen Wentian's shadow was able to follow them. He decided on Master He as his target. Anybody with that surname was definitely a relative of He Zicheng. The guy also had a storage ring, signifying his status. He was the best choice.

After the party had set up camp for the night, Chen Wentian recalled his shadow and he quickly caught up with them. He lurked around until after they had gone to sleep. There was one person standing guard but he dealt with it easily through a powerful sleeping powder. After making sure everyone was knocked out, he went into the main tent with Master He.

”Who! Mmmm!”

Master He called out in alarm but was quickly silenced by Chen Wentian's spiritual aura. It looked like Master He was not simple as he even had prepared some inscriptions to protect against the sleeping powder. But it didn't matter as there was nobody else to help him.

Master He looked at this strange person fearfully as every inch of his body was frozen, unable to move. Immortal! There was no other possibility. The first thought was someone from the Eagle faction but he didn't recognize the face. What could anybody want with him? He was merely a lowly elder within the Beast God Sanctum. The stranger didn't say anything, only extending his hand and soon Master He felt a strange energy enter him.

The energy was like water, spreading across his body until it permeated everything, seeping into his upper, middle, and lower dantians. There was no pain, but the world around him faded away and he found that he was no longer in the tent. What was before his eyes was a vast starry space, as vast as the universe. He looked down, to see his body had become like gas, it was white and ethereal with no substance. He looked around and saw the stranger appear. That man was also white and ethereal like him.

The white ethereal hand of the stranger reached out once more. This time, it directly dug into Master He's chest. He tried to scream but there was no sound. He could do nothing as his consciousness slowly drifted away into blackness.

---

Master He, or more specifically He Xingping, opened his eyes after a long time. He was still He Xingping, with all the memories and the same thoughts as before. But he was no longer the same person as before. He now knew the name of the stranger in front of him, Chen Wentian.

”Another one for the collection...” He Xingping muttered.

”Indeed, have fun!” Chen Wentian said and disappeared into the night, leaving the new and improved He Xingping alone in the tent.